ABSTRACT The 2018 Streptococcal Biology Gordon Research Conference (GRC) is the inaugural meeting on this medically important and scientifically rich field of research and will be held at the Jordan Hotel in beautiful Sunday River, Maine, USA, from August 19-24, 2018. The program encompasses a wide range of exciting topics on host-bacterial interactions among important human and animal pathogens from the genus Streptococcus. Invited speakers include both established and early-stage investigators who will present their latest unpublished high impact research discoveries. An important goal of the GRC is to cultivate the next generation of scientific leaders including junior investigators, postdoctoral fellows and graduate students by providing a highly interactive and supportive environment to exchange ideas with current eminent figures in the field. All attendees will have the opportunity to present posters and the best abstracts will be selected for short oral presentations in the regular program. Finally, the program will include a so-called Power Hour, open to all participants and designed to increase awareness and discuss issues that women and minorities face in their scientific careers. Nine exciting topics will be including the Opening Keynote Session: ?The Leading Edge: Emerging Themes in Streptococcal Research?, ?Streptococcal Manipulation of Macrophage and Neutrophil Function?, ?Immune Responses to Streptococcal Infection: A Balancing Act?, ?Finding a Niche: Streptococcal Colonization of Host Mucosal and Epithelial Barriers?, ?Polymicrobial Interactions: Life Among the Microbiome?, ?New Paradigms in Streptococcal Virulence Factor Action?, ?Innovative Therapeutic and Vaccination Strategies Against Streptococcal Pathogens?, Streptococcomics: Big Data Approaches to the Pathogens?, and ?The Next Generation of Streptococcal Research: Young Investigator Presentations?. The conference is central to the NIH mission as streptococcal diseases have been recognized for thousands of years and remain today some of the most serious cause of worldwide health problems. Worldwide, the most lethal bacterial pathogen is Streptococcus pneumoniae, an agent of pneumonia, bloodstream infection and meningitis in children and the elderly, now estimated to cause 11% of all deaths in children from 1 month to 5 years of age. Group A Streptococcus is likewise a top-10 agent of infection-related mortality, producing 700 million annual cases of pharyngitis, invasive infections such as necrotizing fasciitis and toxic shock syndrome, and is the immunology trigger for rheumatic heart disease. Group B Streptococcus is the leading cause of sepsis and meningitis in human neonates. This GRC seeks to provide a comprehensive platform on the research on pathogenic streptococci, including its basic biology, genetics, and pathways that facilitate interaction with the host, which result in infection and disease. Encouraging participation of all scientists working with streptococci and in closely related microbial pathogenesis and immunology fields, we expect to develop this meeting into a recurring premier conference in infectious diseases research.